Holiday Gift Suggestions for 6 Month Old

well, if i were you i'd ask for gift cards. there isn't really much in terms of toys that she would get attached to. gift cards, on the other hand, you could use a time goes by.

how about a wagon for when he is about 12 months old.. maybe a few people can go in on it.. or some little learning toys.. or just gift certificates.. ask for some clothes too.. they grow so fast.. go for 12 month old size.. or jackets for the spring..

My favorite learning toy from when my son was an infant was Discovery Toys' Measure Up Cups. The 12 cups stack or nest, are volumetrically correct (that is, if you fill cup #1, twice, it will equal cup #2...great in the bath tub), they depict animals, one to a cup, in the same size order as the cups themselves. They also teach numbers, colors...there's so much to learn.

The company also makes a baby set of musical instruments called Baby Grooves, a nifty set which includes a music CD to play along to.

Books are always great. Check out Frog's Friends, Lady Bug's Lesson and Baby Bear's Bedtime.

You can find all of these, and more at www.toysofdiscovery.com

Hi K.
I know the feeling about being bambarded with stuffed animals!! My problem is that I feel my sister and sister-in-law are cleaning out their house of their clutter and pawning it on me because their kids are bigger and "don't need them anymore". Well, what makes them think it is something I or my daughter "needs"?
Anyway, to answer your question....
My daughter's first Christmas was fun, but my husband was the bad one. He bought tons of toys that were way too advanced for her and she is now 20 months as is still not interested in some of them.
My best advice is to ask for age appropriate musical toys.
V-tech puts out some great 6-12 month items that are not expensive at all. (leap frog and fisher price do also)

One in particular that kept my daughter's attention for a long time is a V-tech "Ball" that had shapes around it and played music with each shape that she pressed. Also the ball had the ability to roll back and forth which really kept her attention. It tells the baby the color of the shape, the name of the shape and also identifies 3 animals...a cat, a dog and a monkey. The animal's make their sounds also. It is not a terribly noisy item and is easily held and rolled by the baby. At 6 months she may bat at it and laugh as she touches the shapes, but you will see as she gets bigger, she will respond differently and get more from the product each day.
We got it in Walmart last year and I think it was just 11 or 12 dollars.
Just remember "age appropriate".
Textures are still great at her age.
Also if you sew, the craft stores sell material to make these great cloth books for babies. My Aunt made my daughter one and she gave it to her when she was 8 months old. My daughter is almost 2 and she still loves it because there are so many shapes, items and colors on it, she always learns something new with it. And now she is naming all the items and gets so excited that she can do this now.

I would push for books with textures and shapes.
those toys to place the shapes in the holes,
musical items, things with lights and sounds.

Hope these suggestions help!

P.
P.S. one item you could ask family members to get for her is a great item called "Twilight Turtle" it is made by "Cloud B". It is a plush turtle that has a shell on it's back and at nighttime you put it on and it acts like a night light...but it reflects the stars onto the ceiling.
There are colored backgrounds you can pick from...blue, green and amber. It is a soothing way for your baby to learn to fall off to sleep by herself. (that and some lullabye music in the background...what could be more relaxing?)
Something you will be able to use for her for many many years to come. It is about $70 but if you shop around, some sites do sell it for a little less.
I am getting it for my daughter this Christmas..(If Grandma doesn't beat me to it ;)
Also, when your baby gets older, then you and she can lay on her bed and look for different stars and constellations b/c it comes with a map for doing so. It will grow with her and she will learn from it too!
Have a WONDERFUL FIRST CHRISTMAS WITH YOUR ANGEL!!!
God Bless Her!

I would try to think ahead about some things you can use as she gets a little older. I bought a water table for my twins several months before they used it. When it was time they LOVED it. I don't know that you will find one this time of year but she'll be 1 in the summer and thats a great toy for that age. Also, chunky puzzles might be a good idea. Mellisa & Doug make really nice ones. My kids loved the farm one that made the animal sounds. Also one of the toys we got the most use of was the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn learning house. It teaches opposites, ABC's, numbers and has music. It is so cute. My kids played with it for a looong time. Definately worth the money. Check it out at at FisherPrice.com

Our daughter started to really enjoy puzzles around a year...it may be a little early, but you should stock up on the things that she will enjoy as time goes on. Also, since her birthday and the holidays are 6 months apart, you may want to ask for clothes so you have clothes for all ages. I always ask for the next size up, which is nice for people because you can usually get them on sale at the change of seasons. And you should probably get some 12 month toys because she will be playing with them before you know it and it will save you from have to buy them yourself later!

Google leapfrog & look at their toys for 6-12 mth olds, they have great products!

BOOKS! Lots and lots of children's books, what a great gift! It's okay to tell them that since she is so young and doesn't know what a gift is, it's fine to just give a single childrens book or that she could do with clothes rather than more infant toys at this point. Christmas ornaments might be nice too - let them know that you're not specifically looking for "Baby's First Christmas" but just for some pretty ornaments that she would like and know are just hers as she gets older - when we got married, my husband had NO ornaments, we started at zero. For my kids, I have bought them each an ornament every year, so that when they leave our home, they will already have a collection of ornaments
Good luck! I hope it will be a wonderful first holiday season for your baby.

Hi K.,

Books are always wonderful to receive as gifts. Lift-the-flap or touch-and-feel books are great for little ones. I would also suggest the Leapfrog Learning Table, which will be great for your daughter once she is standing and cruising. You could also ask for a baby walker or walking toy to help her develop her walking skills once she is ready. Nesting cups and soft blocks are nice, too.

If nothing else, you could ask for future babysitting opportunities so you and your husband can get out of the house on a date! That is a wonderful gift, in my honest opinion!

I have been in the same boat as you. When my daughter was 6 months old I actually registered her at Babies R Us, so that I could tell family and friends to go there. I registered her for her big carseat, sippy cups, some clothes and pajamas and some toys. I took advantage of the fact that at 6 months old there are a lot of changes in what infants do and play with. If you register her your family and friends can help you graduate her to the next stage of her life.

I know it's tacky, but Toys R Us does a registry for Christmas and birthday.
- BOOKS... my family started the Eric Carle books for my son. He was a little young for them at the time, but he loves them now!
- Clothing... you are probably starting run out of "shower" clothes
- Don't be afraid to look ahead a little and ask for toys a little above her age. My son loved his music table and exersaucer!
- CD's with songs that she will very soon start singing along too.
- Giftcards are always much appreciated- she's still little and won't know that she got diapers!

We had a conversation with our families last year and asked people not to go overboard for his first Christmas b/c he wouldn't know and we didn't want a house full of "stuff"! People were really respectful of that.

Go on Toys R Us or similar websites and you can search for things by age appropriateness which is a huge help. Dont be afraid to register her Christmas and Birthdays. The search will come up with lots of great ideas and for a growing baby clothes are always a great idea.

Your daughter won't be ready for it until probably 8-10 months, but I used the "My Baby Can Talk" sign language DVDs with my older son. My younger son is 6 months now, and I am looking forward to starting them with him. The videos were great, very "Baby Einstein-ish" that captivate the kid's attention. We all learned a lot of signs together, and in addition to helping be able to express himself before he could do it verbally, I really think they helped him with his verbal skills as well. Each segment tells the word and the sign, so I think it helps with both. Hope this helps!

At 6 months do you really need toys or more clothes that she would not use for more than a couple of months? I always ask my family to put the money towards a college fund instead, and if they want to give a gift to give something very small so the rest of the money can be put into the account for my son. He doesn't care if the gift cost a dollar or a hundres dollars. Also his birthday and xmass are so close together that I hold gifts back and give it to him through out the year. In the meantime, family members have come to know that I'd rather put the money in his account.

If you feel you have enough toys etc., ask for something she will enjoy later or as she grows up. A nice framed poster or other artwork to decorate her room. You can start creating a creche and ask for different parts of that, or suggest a special tree ornament with her name on it, a Christmas music box or the like. She won't know the difference now and will enjoy these things later when they are a special part of the Christmas ritual.
This is the perfect time to start collecting heirlooms she will have a lifetime to enjoy. And they don't have to be expensive either.

Books and clothes are always good. I like to think of what milestones my children will hit in the year following the birthday or holiday. Melissa and Doug puzzles are great because they are bright and they have the large wooden knobs which are great for small hands. A small push-walker or a small riding toy would also be nice because by next summer she will be starting to walk or already walking.

Books. You can never go wrong with books no matter what the age.

Two of the best toys I ever got were a beautiful set of colored blocks and magnatiles. The magnatiles are about a year too early for your daughter, but the blocks, she could start using relatively soon. They are both very pricey (in excess of $100) but they last forever. If you want a gift for her to use at 9 months, I agree with others to find some good leapfrog toys. Also, one of the best gifts we got around that age was a radio flyer plastic wagon... Books and videos are also great. There are a lot of little kid videos (think Baby Einstein)...

Hi K.. Here are some recommendations: books (the ones I like are called the flap books, they have flaps that open, like Elmo's Favorite Places is one example). A Fisher Price Strite-to-Ride Lion, a Push Around Buggy or another type of a push toy that the baby can hold on to and push as they start walking. Also, my daughter loved anything that plays music or has buttons. Examples are the LeapFrog Learn and Grove Musical Table or the Vtech Disney Princess Phone. These are just some examples. Good luck and let me know if you have questions.

Be glad they're asking, the last thing you need is more stuffed animals or so many clothes that she'll never get a chance to wear.

Shape sorter toys are always good. So are blocks, especially plastic ones. These toys grow with your child.

It's a little early, but you may want to request a toy that helps with walking.

Have fun window shopping!!!

I think books are the best gift, nice books. My son is 20 months and has loved books since he was 8-9 months and still loves them. Flap books and firsts books are great. With all the toys he has all he ever wants to do is look at his book. Also clothes are great too.